


Of Crowns and Swords

by CrazyDemigod666



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, And like, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, It's a war y'all, M/M, Maybe a little faster than intended, they got them muscles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28556916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyDemigod666/pseuds/CrazyDemigod666
Summary: Logan Steinwell has always carried his family’s honour with pride. Working hard, studying endless nights and taking every opportunity, it was all worth it the day Logan got knighted by the King. So, when his King asks for his service in the upcoming war, he doesn’t hesitate to offer his wits as sharp as his sword.But when he discovers the war to be a ploy by the Dragon Witch, he is not bemused, to say the least. Oh, and the fact that he was now trapped by said Dragon Witch along with the Commander of the opposing army, did not help in the slightest.Or, perhaps, a little bit.
Relationships: Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Dr. Emile Picani & Sleep | Remy Sanders
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	Of Crowns and Swords

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Sexual innuendos (honestly, does anyone expect any less when Remus is a main character?), cursing
> 
> If there are any that I missed, let me know and I will add it
> 
> Come say hello on Tumblr! @crazydemigod666

“Well, this was certainly not what I expected to find”, a charming voice bounced of the cold stone walls.

Logan rolled his eyes, the dark blue irises illuminated by the various crystals around him. 

It’s one thing to be bested, one thing to be outsmarted, but another to be tricked and then not even be credited for the deductive reasoning used to discover a plot. Quite frankly, if not for his manners learned during his apprenticeship as a knight, and the fact his hands were currently tied, he would even be tempted to show a very crude gesture to the man before him.

“Please, if you were that precarious about your planning, surely you could have expected me to discover you were behind the manipulation that caused this war between our kingdoms to start.”

The tall figure loomed over him, taking in the bound men before him. “I did factor in your intelligence, Sir Logan”, he laughed, “ but your stubbornness was clearly stronger than I initially anticipated.”

“You can just say you fucked up, Dragon Bitch”, the man tied to Logan mocked.

“Excuse me, I earned the title of Dragon Witch after years of practice. At least attempt to use it properly.”

“Depends, can your lizard brain process it properly?” the man retorted.

“ _Dear Celestials_ , must you aggravate our situation further, Remus?” he tugged at his restraints.

“I don’t see how it can get any worse.” He stretched his legs, gesturing with his foot since his arms were bound. 

“I’m tied to the second most famous knight of Dianoia, who used to be the royal advisor until this bitch started worming his way into not only your, but also my royal court, our kingdoms are at war, we’re trapped in a cave, and we discovered this war was all a ploy for that glorified worm over there to take over.”

Logan chuckled. “Wow, the Duke can actually form a coherent thought process. Not bad for someone from Thumos.”

“Wow, thank you , Dianoian nerd. It’s almost like I care”, Remus retorted.

“It’s all very entertaining to see you two bonding like that”, the Dragon Witch said coyly, “ but I believe you forgot one small detail.”

Logan tilted his head, his glasses falling down slightly at the motion. “And what might that be?”

“You, are going to die here, while I lay your kingdoms in ruin.”

With a flick of a wrist, the entrance to the cave was sealed off, and the villain had left in a haze of dark green smoke.

Honestly, what was it with wizards and sorcerers and their fondness for the dramatic? Surely there must be other things you should be working on, Logan thought.

Granted, perhaps he was a tad jealous that he could never master magic the way his childhood friend Janus could, or the way the Dragon Witch did, but must it always be this…extravagant?

After a while, you tend to see the value more in hard work and education when the people around you can just conjure the things they want out of thin air.

That didn’t mean he didn’t respect it, nor that he wasn’t in awe of the tact that was needed for it. Often enough Janus had shown him how hard it was to perform magic, the snake like features on the left side of their face a prime example of what happens when it’s performed wrong, or rather, on the wrong person.

Still, in this case, being trapped in a cave instead of killed on the spot was both just plain stupid as well as too theatrical for Logan’s tastes.

“Well that was just plain rude”, Remus complained.

And then there was Remus.

“More importantly, incorrect as well”, Logan stated matter of factly. “The last thing that will happen is me dying tied to the likes of you.”

Remus threw his head over his shoulder, staring at him from upside down. “I love you just as much, darling, but can you like, not complain so much? My brother does that enough already.”

Logan pushed himself forward, eager at the very least, to stop his fellow captive’s moustache from scratching his neck, and at best, to breathe air that was less smelling of whatever it was Remus had eaten and more of the mildew from the cave.

“Oh, poor fellow”, Logan said sweetly as he scrunched his nose.

Remus raised an eyebrow in surprise: “Well, thank yo-“

“I meant your brother, for putting up with you.”

Remus nearly headbutted him as he struggled with the rope in his hands, “Dear Blood Gods, you Dianoian Dick, what is up your butt? You really need to stop putting sticks in there and find yourself a good-“

“Finish that sentence and I will-“

“What, kill me? We’re gonna die here anyway and in case you forgot, you’re still tied to me.”

Logan blew his bangs from his face, more out of frustration than to get it out of his eyes.

“You keep reminding me of that, yes, thank you for your astute observation for the umpteenth time.

“Wow, and I thought Remy was bad”, the duke muttered under his breath. “Why did it have to be a knight from Dianoia of all people.”

Logan scoffed, shifting in the dirt beneath him. “It’s not like I deliberately chose to get captured at the same time you did.”

“Then why do you keep jabbing at me? I don’t like you, you don’t like me, but we’re stuck here together, so could you can it for one fucking second and work with me?”

“I am capable of cooperating, if that is what you’re asking.”

“You know, I really don’t like you.”

“The feeling is mutual, Remus.”

“Congrats, I’ll add you to the list.”

Remus kicked at one of the crystals, chipping them off with his steel toed boot. “It’s not like one more person makes a difference.”

Logan waited until the clattering of steel and rocks subsided, letting Remus take out the frustration he had built up on the cavern.

“We don’t have to be this hostile all the time, I suppose, for our mutual benefit, it would be better if we stopped insulting each other.”

“You’re the one who made it very clear that you have no intention of doing so”, Remus mocked him.

Through gritted teeth, Logan tried to remain calm. “As much as I dislike this situation, I believe I could concede to your suggestion to ‘can it’ if you will.”

Glancing sideways, Remus eyed him suspiciously. “Will you work with me then, instead of against me? I have enough of that going on in my life already.”

“That depends, what do you propose?” Logan asked.

“How about you shut up for a second?”

“Same order I usually got during my training. I’m used to being ignored so that won’t be a problem.”

Remus stopped wriggling in his restrains as he noticed he had hit a sensitive spot, and not the good kind.

“I didn’t mean to belittle you…”

“No one ever does”, he scoffed. “Doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.”

“Well, I’m sorry for that. I can relate to being shut down for wanting to express myself.”

Logan straightened his back, leaning onto Remus behind him.

“You can?”

“Of course I can. You know how my life is.”

“Quite frankly, I don’t. We’ve never met before.”

“You don’t have to have met me for that. You know who my brother is.”

Logan stared at the fungi growing in the corners of the cave, trying to recall the members of the court of Thumos.

“Prince Roman”, Remus answered for him . “First in line to the throne, last in line to care about my opinion on anything.”

“Your brother is the crown Prince?” Logan asked in surprise.

“Really, you didn’t know?”

“How was I supposed to know? I knew he had a brother, not that it was you.”

“We’re are literal twins, you dumbass.”

“And I have never even seen either of you in person before, so how was I supposed to know?”

“Well maybe if you came to visit our home without having the intention to burn it, you would have.”

“I have no such intention! Our kingdom despises barbarian acts like that, unlike yours.”

“ _Barbarians_? Okay, first of all, we have never done that and second of all, you don’t have to judge my people solely on my own personality!”

“Are you saying your people have never waged wars and left the fields of the people you conquered burning?”

“Of course not! Yes, we have fought wars and conquered land, but it’s not like your ancestors haven’t done any similar acts. The only difference is that we did it to escape our oppressors. We sought freedom and if we had to fight bloody for it, then so be it. We rather stain our swords with their reds than to be slaves again.”

“I never said your ad urbe condita wasn’t for a right cause”, Logan pointed out.

“Then do you truly believe we would wish a fate like that upon others when we know first hand what it is like?”

“Perhaps not. I merely go by the history books I’ve read and most of them tell tales of how you’ve slashed your way to victory, choosing blunt force and mass strength over tact and honour. Forgive me if the way you act confirms that.”

“I’m sorry but, who was it that declared war on our kingdom? We even sent you a peace offering!”

“You sent us the severed head of a lion-boar.”

“And do you know how difficult it is to catch one of those? It’s one of the highest honours one can receive!”

Logan sneered at him. “I apologize for the fact my King was too focused on our acres burning than on your hunting spoils.” 

Remus, visibly deflated, remembered the destruction that plagued them months before. 

“We both know that wasn’t our fault, Logan. I personally hunted that lion-boar to make up for it, despite the fact that we were innocent. You could have at least accepted it properly.”

“I-“, Logan sighed heavily, hanging his head low: “We know _now_ that it wasn’t a Thumarian soldier, but at the time, we had to act like it was. If king Nico hadn’t responded, it would have seemed like he didn’t care about his people. Add that to everything else that has led to this war…it was the only outcome possible.”

“Then why are you so… pointed, and critical of my kingdom? I can understand why you dislike me, Hell, I despise myself sometimes too, but to say that my soldiers are the same? That seems unfair.”

The knight twisted in his bounds, the rope shifting against his armor.

“I may not have met many Thumarians, but all of them shared the same characteristics: loud, arrogant, impulsive and reckless. It seems to be your kingdom’s trademark.”

“Oh, yeah like yours is so much better.”

“Honestly, it simply is. We are rational, calculated, strong willed, logi-“

“Cold, uncaring, vain, presumptuous, and sometimes even cruel”, Remus interrupted him.

Logan tried to turn around to face him, but was made painfully aware of his restriction in movement.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I said what I said.”

“And what you said is a downright falsehood.”

“Oh, is it? Then why is it your king never accepts our invitations to attend the festivals for fun? Or your soldiers never so much as smile at our troops when we have come to lend a hand? Why do your citizens look at us with disdain when we try to offer you the bounty of our land like good neighbors?”

“W-we do accept your invitations”, Logan stammered, seemingly at a loss for words. “The King always attends and we gladly accept your aid.”

“Yeah, because of diplomacy. The only reason we weren’t at each other’s throats before was because of the trading routes we share and the mutual benefit we have from strength and tactics. The Dragon Bitch didn’t even have to do much for this war to happen. We already hate each other anyway.”

The silence that followed was deafening in the dimly lit cave. Neither man wanted to deny or continue the conversation that left them painfully aware of the vulnerability and flaws they had. When the drumming in his ears and the buzzing in his head became too loud for Logan, he sighed, carefully picking up the subject again.

“We don’t…hate you.”

Remus’ shuffling indicated he was listening, waiting for him to continue.

“It’s just…We are very different.”

“No shit.”

“My kingdom, the people of Dianoia, we evolved to be calculated and I suppose, cold, in order to survive on the land we have. To thrive in barren places.”

“What do you mean, barren? Your gardens are prized all over the world, not to mention how the flower trade has brought you immense wealth.”

Logan smiled thinly, envisioning the lush greenery that coloured his homeland.

“It used to be. When our kingdom was first founded, it was a stretch of land no one wanted. The ground was sour, the soil weakened everywhere. But, we made it work. We invested hard in irrigation and supplementation, providing the fields with the nourishment it craved and our patience was rewarded. In time, our lands were the most sought out of all.”

“So”, he cleared his throat, “it’s not that we don’t want to interact with you. We know rationally we need to maintain friendly relationships.”

“Gee, look at how that worked out.”

“However”, he continued, “ we are not…fond to do so because, quite frankly, no one wanted to interact before we had our growth, and those who do merely want to exploit the riches we offer. So if it has no use for us in the positive, than we see no use for it. Not to mention your…difference in values.”

“Difference in values? What, do you not care for honour, valour and bravery?”

“I do, but we also care for carefulness, modesty and refinement, and…hygiene.”

“Oh, no, that’s just me. I’m the exception to that rule. If you want prissy and sterile go talk to Roman. He dislikes getting his hands dirty.”

“He’s the Crown Prince??” Logan stated confusedly.

“Uhu, and I’m the Commander of the army. Ever wondered why that is?”

“You have a point.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Roman is a phenomenal fighter. He just likes to fight “fair and chivalrous””, he said in a mocking tone.

“Like a knight and prince is supposed to”, Logan pointed out.

“Yeah but the thing is” he started pulling at the rope again, “life isn’t fair, especially not in a fight.”

“I never denied that. But you have to at least try to begin your fight properly.”

“Isn’t that how you got caught here in the first place?” Remus chuckled softly.

“How was I supposed to know I would be bested with magic instead of with a sword?”

“You were going to fight a man named the Dragon Witch and you honestly thought he was going to let you fight him with the weapon that gave you the upper hand? Are you sure you’re the smartest knight in Dianoia?”

Logan groaned, long and heavily. “You make _one mistake_ and _this is what happens_.”

“Relax, Sir Logan, knight of one-mistake-that-landed-him-in-a-cave, it happens to all of us. I mean, I’m here too.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised you are.”

“Why, because I’m Thumarian scum not capable of figuring out the schemes of a traitor?” he declared a bit too pointedly.

“I didn’t mean you aren’t capable of that”, Logan spoke softly and sincerely, “and…I apologize for underestimating your wit, earlier. It was wrong of me to say it. You are not just brawn and brute, and I should have acknowledged that, given how we both ended up here for the same reason.”

Remus crossed his legs, turning his head around slightly. “Thank you, for your apology. It…It means a lot, to me.”

“You’re welcome, Duke Remus.”

“So then… what did you mean?”

“Even though my, erm, disliking of your people was present, I am not that vain or arrogant to deny the qualities you and your soldiers possess.”

“You mean my strong muscular arms and well maintained moustache?”

“I am complimenting your intelligence and your way with a sword, not just your well-built body, you oaf”

“Ah, so you think I’m well built?”

“Holy Celestials, why are you like this?”

“Really Entertaining Meets Undeniably Sexy?

“I take back what I said, I understand how you ended up here.”

“Oh come on, I am just teasing, lighten up a little!”

“I can not make myself lighter, I am not a high sorcerer like the Dragon Witch.”

“Wow, you’re really something, Logan.”

“I suppose?”

“For a Dianoian, you could have been worse.”

“And for a Thumarian, you could have been better”, Logan teased.

“The nerd can make a joke? Who would have thought.”

“I’m not just facts and figures, you know.”

“Says the nerd.”

“I am also a knight, thank you very much.”

“And you can tell everyone of your fellow knights how you were freed by the dashing duke of Thumos, too.”

“We aren’t even out of these ropes yet, Remus.”

“Aren’t we?” he turned around, chin tilted and placed on his hands.

“When-, how-“, Logan stammered.

“Like I said,” Remus stretched his arms, revealing the flash of metal in his hands.

“Life isn’t fair, so you have to be prepared for life’s traps with some tricks up your sleeves. Or, a knife in this case.”

Logan slowly got up, rubbing his sore wrists as Remus offered him a hand, which Logan took hesitantly.

“I can be chivalrous when I want to”, he winked.

“No doubt about that”, Logan simpered.

“Now that we’re free from bondage, there’s the issue of the cave. Not that I don’t enjoy being locked up with you.”

“Don’t push it, Remus.”

“Oh, if you want me to push-“

“Wow, I-, I need to go walk that off for a second.”

“Where would you even go?” Remus cackled. “We’re trapped!”

“And I will attempt to put an end to that.”

“How, exactly will you do that? Do you carry explosives with you to blow the entrance away or something?”

Logan walked over to the entrance, kneeling along the edges of it as he turned around and grinned.

“You might say I also have some….tricks up my sleeve.”

Logan held up a hand, the lightweight armour shining brightly as he took his chest plate off, revealing a compartment on the inside, undetected by the henchmen that searched him. He traced along the edges, glowing at the touch as he made a symbol appear in the metal.

“I thought you weren’t a magic wielder?” Remus looked at him, mouth agape.

Logan smiled, the soft blue glow framing his face in a way Remus would come to appreciate later.

“I said I wasn’t a high sorcerer like the Dragon Witch. I have my tricks, if you will, but it’s merely the basics. Even so,” he pulled out a leather pouch and held it up for Remus to see, “ the basics can also be very useful.”

“You…actually have, like, explosives-“

“Of course not, that would be highly dangerous.”

He pulled out a few objects from his pouch, powders and different rocks, Remus assumed, placing some of them on the edges of the cave and some of them he mixed together before gently rubbing them on the rock wall.

“I have the components that _together_ could _make_ an explosive”, Logan clarified.

“You sneaky son of a bitch, you’re actually going to blow up the cave?”

“Perhaps you should take a step back”, Logan said as he pulled Remus behind a crevice. “And please refrain from calling my mother a bitch, Maman would not like it if you spoke of her wife like that.”

“What are you-“

Logan whispered something in his hand, snapping his fingers as he finished presumably a spell or incantation and in an instant, light spilled into the formerly dark cave, smoke licking around their feet as the entrance was blown away, providing fresh air to fill their lungs as they stepped out of the cavern.

Out in the daylight, they soaked in the warmth from the sun, letting their eyes adjust to the sudden light. 

“You really are a knight in shining armor, aren’t you?” Remus squinted at him.

“We had to get out one way or another, your Grace, I only did what I had to.”

“I meant you literally are a knight in shining armor. Your armor is fucking blinding me.”

Logan chuckled, holding a hand to his chest before he realized how much of a beacon he was in all his glimmering glory.

“Here”, he handed Remus his chest plate, “It’ll fit you, I think.”

“Uh, don’t you think you need this more?” Remus held up his hands in refusal.

“I’d rather have you be armored up a little, seeing how your attire is befitting of a lounging royal, but not really for a fighter.”

The duke begrudgingly took the armor, finding it to be a little loose, but not too much to be a hazard. “Not my fault I got ambushed and wasn’t armored up when it happened…” he muttered.  
“What about you then?”

“I have a back-up.”

Remus blinked a few times, making sure he heard that correctly.  
“You…have a back up chest plate…How-,where would you even store that? They searched us??”  
“I have these friends back home”, Logan kneeled, performing the same magic on his shin guard, “Janus, smart, annoying sometimes, uncannily good with magic, and Virgil, incredibly intuitive and strategic, but also quite worried for my safety, so together, they may or may not have…adjusted my armor a bit.”

Logan pulled out what seemed to be a leather chest plate, which, by all means, should not have fitted in there. He took off his shoulder plates and moved to strap it on, his muscles not unnoticed by Remus underneath his black sleeves.

“It’s sturdier than you think”, he said, noticing Remus staring.

“I’m sure you are.”

“What was that?”

“I said I’m sure of that”, he replied quickly.

Logan checked his armor a final time, making sure everything was secure.

“Are you going to keep gawking at me, or are we going to save our kingdoms?”

“Thought you’d never ask, Dianoian Dork.”

“Well then, after you, Thumarian Trouble.


End file.
